Wie (65) shares first-round lead in Canada

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Michelle Wie is looking to build more winning momentum in the LPGA’s final start before the year’s second major championship in women’s golf.

Wie got off to a hot start Thursday in the opening round of the Manulife LPGA Classic in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

With a 6-under-par 65, Wie set the pace in the morning wave at Grey Silo Golf Course. With seven birdies and a bogey, she shares the lead with Hee Young Park. Wie is looking for her second title of the year after winning the Lotte Championship in April.

“I was early off, and I just wanted to make a lot of birdies early on,” Wie told reporters after her round.

Wie remembers how Park scorched Grey Silo a year ago, winning in a playoff after finishing at 26 under par over 72 holes.

“It's definitely one of those golf courses where you have to keep making birdies,” Wie said. “My 6 under today, it's not enough. I need to keep making birdies for the rest of the weekend. Still a lot of work cut out for me.”

Wie finished runner-up to Lexi Thompson in the year’s first major, the Kraft Nabisco Championship. She would like to top that at the U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in two weeks.

There’s something about Canada that suits Wie. She won the CN Canadian Women’s Open in 2010. Wie’s play Thursday continues her upward turn. She has seven top-10 finishes in 11 starts this year, with five of those finishes at fourth place or better. She has vaulted from No. 100 in the Rolex world rankings to No. 10 in a little more than a year.